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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bass — low music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. last — final
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. cap — a lid
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rock — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. scale — in music
  23. snap — to click
  24. rock — to move gently

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com